The 5 questions to ask before choosing a real estate agent

If you’ve had a chance to read “are you thinking of renovating or selling your home? “ blog and made the decision to sell then the next question you have to ask is, “who do I want to sell my property?”

This is a tough question to answer. The challenge of engaging a real estate agent and then being totally happy with their performance and the end result is not always as successful as we would all hope.

So how do you find the right real estate agent?

There are online services such as Open Agent and Local Agent Finder that operate as effective research tools so you can compare how real estate agents perform in a particular area however nothing can ever replace your ability to meet prospective agents in person.

You want to be able to ask the questions and remember, it is your property that would be up for sale and your questions are important.

So what questions should we be asking real estate agents?

To find out the answers I called in on a good mate who runs a very successful real estate business on Sydney’s North Shore – Peter Sachs from Sachs Real Estate.

Here are the 5 questions property owners should be asking a real estate agent prior to making any decision of who they choose to sell their property.

1. How long have you been in the industry and are you licensed?
2. What is the conversion rate from your opinion price to the eventual sale price?
3. Would you be happy for me to contact your last five property owners who used you for a reference?.
4. What are your motives in selling my property and what is your fee structure?
5. If I engage your company, will you be handling the whole process?

In my discussion with Peter, he suggested the questions allows the property owner to put the onus back onto the agent to articulate why you should choose them.

The question about motives is really important as it might flesh out a number of influencing factors such as if the agent is operating on a quota or volume commission structure.

Many agents see a property as just a number to help them reach their volume targets. It means they want to sell the property as quickly as possible and move onto the next sale. You need to be able to determine if they will be acting in your best interests in the short and long term.

Peter also mentioned the agents willingness to answer, their communication skills and the answers will offer an insight into the type of customer service they offer.

Selling a property always delivers varying levels of frustration, anxiety and nervousness. This is why you need a quality agent because they will prepare and guide you through the process.

Don’t forget to ask questions upfront and happy selling